


Enough

by Scrawlers



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, takes place during Battle City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 16:44:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17026383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scrawlers/pseuds/Scrawlers
Summary: If Yuugi lived long enough, he would remember everything about this moment—this moment where he confesses his feelings to the one he loves—with vivid clarity. He won't, of course—he's going to die in just a few minutes—but that's okay, because he said what he needed to and Jounouchi will live, and that's good enough for him.





	Enough

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a few years ago, but in light of Tumblr being . . . Tumblr, I've decided to archive everything here, just in case.

Yuugi thinks that if he was going to live to remember it, that he would remember everything about this moment: The caress of the sea breeze, humid and gentle, against his skin; the crisp scent of the sea and water worn wood enveloping him; the cries of far-off gulls and the sound of mild ocean waves lapping against the pier, almost loud enough to drown out the sound of the steadily ticking timer; and the way the setting sun glints off Jounouchi’s golden hair, the way Jounouchi stares at him from across the pier, his brown eyes wide and confused but blessedly, unmistakably him.

If he was going to live past this, Yuugi knows he would remember every thud of his own numbered heartbeats, would remember the exact way Jounouchi’s voice broke as he screamed for Yuugi to live over the roar of Death Meteor, would remember exactly how he felt as he—no one else, but Yuugi himself—won Jounouchi’s heart back.

He won’t live past this, he knows. But that’s okay, because Jounouchi will. Yuugi will die, but Jounouchi will survive, and that . . . that’s enough.

“Jounouchi-kun,” Yuugi says, and much in the same way the earth can’t help turning, he can’t help the way his throat chokes up a little, or the way tears sting at his eyes, or the way a smile breaks across his face. Because Jounouchi will live—Yuugi saved him, he will live, and Yuugi still has time to say what he needs to. For all that, Yuugi can’t stop smiling. “You taught me that I wasn’t alone, and you taught me courage . . .” Courage that he was using now, no matter who else was there to witness what he was about to say. “You’re my most precious friend.”

From across the pier, it almost looks like Jounouchi is shaking, and his voice certainly is as he says, “. . . Stop . . . !”

“Jounouchi-kun . . .” Yuugi huffs a little laugh, tears slipping down his cheeks, and he feels lighter, stronger, and more sure of himself than he ever has as he says, “I love you!”

For a moment, Jounouchi is stunned. His expression is a maelstrom of emotion—of confusion and wonder and joy and burgeoning heartbreak all at once. If he wasn’t going to die, Yuugi thinks, he would forever remember that, too—would remember the sudden brightness in Jounouchi’s eyes and the color in his cheeks when Yuugi confessed that he loved him.

But he won’t, and that’s okay, because this—this is enough.

“Spirit’s Mirror,” he says, and he makes his voice louder as he does, stronger—gives it the power he needs to command the card.

“Wait,” Jounouchi says, and his voice resembles a desperate plea far more than a command. “Stop! Don’t do this!”

Unfortunately, Yuugi knows he can’t afford to listen. “Aim your attack at me!”

“ _YUUGI_!”

Jounouchi’s anguished scream is the last thing Yuugi hears before the Death Meteor crashes into him, but even as his knees buckle and he collapses against the spongy wood of the pier, he still knows in his heart of hearts that he made the exact right decision.


End file.
